Nokia celebrates opening of Gotthard Base Tunnel

NEW DELHI: Finland based telecom giant Nokia today celebrates the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel - the world's longest and deepest railway tunnel - one year sooner than originally planned.

As part of the Transtec Gotthard consortium, Nokia played a pivotal role in the project, deploying the entire communications network that is supporting a range of mission-critical operational and passenger services.

The Transtec Gotthard consortium has overall responsibility for the deployment of the railway infrastructure for the constructor of the tunnel, AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of SBB, the Swiss Federal Railways agency.

Nokia, for its part, was responsible for overall project management, engineering, installation and integration of the complete telecommunications infrastructure in the 57-km-long tunnel. The network encompasses the SCADA-based (supervisory control and data acquisition) Tunnel Control system and IT solutions, multi-service Ethernet over IP/MPLS (Internet Protocol/Multi-protocol Label Switching) technology, emergency telephone and public address (PA) system and incorporates wireless networking technologies including GSM-R, 3G/4G and Professional Mobile Radio.

This successful project highlights Nokia's expertise in both the development and deployment of communications networks, as well as the company's expertise and experience in building networks specifically designed to address the needs of railway operators.

The new network is designed to support both voice, video and data for mission-critical services with extremely high availability in the challenging conditions of the tunnel. The deployment was accomplished in a short timeframe and under very difficult logistical conditions including a very restricted space.

Patrick Langelaan, head of Global Enterprise & Public Sector, Central Europe at Nokia said: "We are pleased to have played a central role in what is surely the most complex and sophisticated railway tunnel project in the world. The speed with which the project was completed - a full year ahead of schedule - is testament to the unique expertise that Nokia and our partners in the Transtec Gotthard consortium bring to the table."

The Gotthard Base Tunnel provides a direct route through the Alps for high-speed and heavy freight trains. It is part of the Alp Transit project, also known as the New Railway Link through the Alps (NRLA), which is intended to provide more direct and efficient links throughout the Alps region, increasing transport capacity while reducing reliance on roadway freight, which is less environmentally sustainable and can be dangerous.